Saturday, April 13

A review of the Orlando Ballet in "Carmina Burana" by Matthew J. Palm in The Orlando Sentinel.

The choreography by Robert Hill, the ballet's artistic director, is often more angular than much of his work, giving the dancers' movements a striking intensity. Yet, he couples that with fluid sweeps and turns, as well as exaggerated arm movements, to complement the big sound from the live music.

As conducted by John Sinclair, the Bach Festival Society's artistic director, the massive choir is crisp and precise, the orchestra weighty in its depth of sound.

A review of Fabulous Beast in "The Rite of Spring" and "Petrushka" by Sarah Crompton in The Telegraph.

But overall the piece lacks the clarity and rugged drama of his best work; it seems to fight the momentum of the music. The action feels dwarfed by the sound rather than developing in response to it – and the same problem besets the second piece, a new response to Petrushka, composed in 1911.

An appreciation of Maria Tallchief by Catherine L. Tully in The Huffington Post.

Over the next few years I would have the opportunity to learn much more from Ms. Tallchief, but the most valuable thing I ever received from her was garnered simply by watching her move. By studying the way she gestured with her hands and turned her head -- just so. It's something you just can't capture in words, and it's something that became part of me as a dancer from that moment forward.

“Maria Tallchief was, for generations of young dancers and audiences alike, the archetypical ballerina — commanding, elegant, the possessor of brilliant technique and electrifying stage presence — all of which seemed unforced, as if she were born with them,” said Mary Margaret Holt, regents professor and director of the University of Oklahoma School of Dance.

A story on Tsiskaridze and the Bolshoi by Maria Tsvetkova in The Scotsman.

A Moscow court yesterday annulled one of two reprimands given to a top ballet dancer by the Bolshoi Theatre after he accused it of using an acid attack on its artistic director as a pretext for a “witch hunt” against him.

I understand that Possokhov comes from the Bolshoi, that he wants to make dances that arise out of deep and important emotions. He wants to tells stories -- human stories, even with guts and blood to them. But here he gives his characters no depth, no motivation except undifferentiated passion. That's not enough. Not even the considerable artistry of Taras Domitro (Giovanni), Joan Boada (Paolo) and Maria Kotchekova (Francesca) could save a sad ballet.

Watching Alexei Ratmansky’s “Symphony #9,” to the Dmitri Shostakovich work of that name, one can understand why Soviet authorities were so upset by its brilliant, rebel composer. The music is simply not predictable. There are quick changes in structure, tone and mood that would have been quite new in 1945. Today, it doesn't sound so rebellious, of course, but Ratmansky somehow captures that aura, and that era, and his choreography rides the music as though it is a big, beautiful wave.

A review of the Royal Ballet by Judith Cruickshank for danceviewtimes.

Virtuoso technique is a given with Nu&#328;ez, but what makes her interesting is the way she use it to express emotion. The classical dances in the betrothal scene become an expression of her feelings. A slow, measured descent from a balance seems to exemplify how she luxuriates in her moment of glory. She jumps easily and quite as high as her partner, finishing with a brilliant display of turns.

"I want to be a dancer. The National Ballet of Cuba turns out great male dancers," said Marcos, sweat dripping from his face after a recent workout in the steamy studio as his brothers nodded in agreement. "And go on tour in many countries and travel the world by dancing."

Toward that end, the Ramirez brothers spend 12 hours a day at the National School of Ballet, housed in a graceful, cream-porticoed building that occupies a full half-block in colonial Old Havana. Classes include not only dance, but more mundane subjects like language, math and history.

An obituary for Maria Tallchief by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs for TheaterJones.

When Tallchief retired from the stage, she moved to Chicago to take over the directorship of the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet from 1973 to 1979. In 1981, she founded the Chicago City Ballet and served as its artistic director until 1987. From 1990 until her death she was artistic advisor to Kenneth Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet. Heidecke has been to Dallas frequently to choreograph for the Dallas Opera, most recently for the spectacular production of Aida earlier this season.

The performances are some of the last times Portland audiences will have a chance to watch Threefoot on stage. At the end of this season, he's leaving for Europe, where he'll dance for Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, the national ballet of the Principality of Monaco.

"For the past two or three years, I've been thinking about going to dance in Europe," Threefoot says. "There's a different dance culture there. It's much more contemporary, and that's the kind of movement that I feel the most comfortable in."

Cruz has taken a while to get there but he has now arrived at danseur noble status. His slow turns were a marvel of balance, his superb leaps and every other step he took showed him in complete command of his long legs and arms, using them musically and expressively to further the action. It doesn’t hurt that he is tall, dark, and handsome, the typical criteria for a prince. He and Körbes danced together as one in a magical duet of partnering.